I was inspired to write this poem combining the images of several of my dreams, weaving them into new magical possibilities for my life, stirred by the love and wisdom of the Dreamtime. I hope you enjoy it.
A Reclamation Project
The mariachis are at the table,
waiting for your response.
You hem and haw over the additional cost.
Say yes!
Their lively, enthusiastic music brings delight
to you and other diners within earshot.
All will be fed by the joyful tunes of the violins, trumpets and guitar.
You can afford this extravagance now.
You can even be frivolous,
as you add to the beauty in the world.
The birds claim your attention next.
Three of them, multi-colored, resembling parrots of the Amazon,
flying in a circle in your living room.
The father and daughter have brought them.
Staying up late with the sleepless girl,
you feel the deep love the father has for his daughter.
No need to worry about the cat who lives there.
The father and daughter aren’t worried.
Why should you be?
Still, you can’t shake your worry about a leaking faucet.
The unknown price-tag.
The wasted water.
Finding the right repairman.
While you are sleeping,
the drip, drip, dripping of the leaky faucet is magically repaired
by invisible hands.
It turns out this is not the repair
that needs your attention.
As you watch in horror,
the 14-year-old girl is suddenly and violently
caught in a flash flood.
All the worrying in the world won’t prevent this disaster.
You feel helpless to save her,
her long brown hair flying in the whirlwind of the water.
The girl is still there.
Flailing, terrified, afraid she’s going to die.
It’s time to rescue her.
Now you have the strength and resources to send her a line.
Bring her back.
Release her from the forces that swept her away.
She started the worrying.
The obsessing.
The need to control.
When all was on shaky grounds,
and the torrent came,
there was no help in sight.
Alone, in her despair,
she mustered up the strength to go on,
not knowing she was still in the water,
in need of coming home.
The home is yours now.
The same house where the flood engulfed the girl.
The pipes are broken.
Damage, both seen and unseen,
has ravaged this house.
But the repairmen are there.
Dozens work in teams to steadily mend the damage.
To make the house solid and whole.
The roof on the master bedroom is missing,
but you have the necessary resources and help
for this vast undertaking.
You sense this newly restored, cared for, and loved home
will be a haven for future generations.
But first, it’s the young girl who needs to come home
to live in this reclaimed house.
The reclamation project is first and foremost for her.
Soon she will be released from the unbridled water,
rescued from her floundering
and her desperate need to find a way to stop the flood.
She will have a safe place to be.
To live.
To thrive.
To feel safe and secure enough
to simply delight in the music of the mariachis
and the beauty of the wild birds.